Children's fears are likely to rise along with the confirmed cases of swine flu, but parents can help kids feel safe despite the scary news, mental health experts say. Pediatricians all over the USA have been swamped with calls, "and parents are calling frantically, wanting to know what to do, in states where there have been cases," says Henry Bernstein, a Dartmouth Medical School professor and spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The malicious Conficker Internet worm got more aggressive about trying to reach its creators Wednesday, but computer security researchers appeared correct in their predictions that the effects would be muted.

Several cities, including Ann Arbor, Mich., and Anchorage, have installed LED streetlights, and dozens more are planning conversions. At least 30 cities have asked for more than $104 million in federal stimulus funds to help them make the change.

If you're out of work, you might need to make long-term changes, such as learning new job skills or relocating. But in the short-term, you need to shore up your finances. Otherwise, even a short period of unemployment could jeopardize your financial security.

A Maltese dog named Max is headed home to Florida after he was spotted in Chicago -- 1,000 miles from where he vanished. Richard Gonzalez had reported a pet theft after Max disappeared several months ago from his daughter's yard in Brandon, Fla. Gonzalez says he thought that Max would never get far. But the pooch was identified in Chicago by an implanted microchip.